Janet Morrison Minto, aka Janet Planet, started her beading business in Los Angeles, CA in 2003 after a successful 20 year career writing songs. Her unique style is full of exuberant energy, densely placed flowers and leaves, weaving vines, studded with gems that many have said evoke a somehow more innocent time when everything seemed possible. Each semiprecious gemstone and specialty Czech bead necklace she designs is one-of-a-kind work of art, made with love. Always at deepest heart a writer, her descriptive musings on each necklace, detailing her inspiration for each one and a detailed list of the various elements used have become almost as popular among devotees of her work as the necklaces themselves.

A note from Janet: Your Skype coaching (despite the 3 hour time difference), taking and talking me through setting up my store and payment system, teaching me how to engage clients online, then, move them from my personal page to my business page. What a profound help you are! I never could have accomplished so much so quickly without your guidance every step of the way. Patience and professional every step of the way, that’s you Lesley. Thank you.– Janet Morrison-Minto, California, USA

Want more? Find out the answer to the question: Janet, didn’t you used to be a songwriter? I thought music was your life! What happened? Why beading?

I took a class and learned what I needed to do to get started. I bought some beads online and just dove on in. I have among my prized possessions one tiny30″ strand of lovebeads I made for myself back in 1964 that has seen a lot of fascinating life, a lot of history being made. It suddenly reminded me of times with Van and, key point here, how much I have always loved his fans and how grateful I am to them. Once I got a powerful enough computer to be online, I realized that all the Vanfans were online too. I thought maybe it would be nice to reach out to them and see if I could make something beautiful for them to wear, just as a kind of ‘thank-you for making a fond dream of mine come true’ way back when. I had not used the name Janet Planet (that was Van’s name for me, not mine) in decades, but I liked the name “Lovebeads By Janet Planet” a lot and I thought it might remind people of a happier time when we all had cherished dreams, when we were all young. Read more…